Pages

Sunday, 10 November 2013

150W: Gravity

Short reviews for clear and concise verdicts on a broad range of films...

Gravity (Dir. Alfonso Cuarón/2013)

Gravity is a
masterpiece. Even if the concise lost-in-space plot doesn’t resonate, in almost
exclusively five continuous shots, it’s a technical masterpiece. Ryan Stone
(Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (Clooney) fix satellites orbiting the earth when suddenly
debris hits the group mid-mission, throwing Stone into space. Outstanding
special effects mean you don’t even consider what is “real” and what is not.
Intelligent use of 3D mean floating astronauts in the background and screws
hovering in the foreground drag you into the abyss further, rather than detach
your perspective. Director Alfonso Cuarón taps into known Sci-Fi properties as
diverse as 2001: A Space Odyssey and
Planet of the Apes, without losing a
sense of ownership. Through a controlled, well-pitched score, Gravity is its own film using silence
to terrify you. You are alone in space, in the middle of a crowded cinema. And
the cinema is the only place to see Gravity.